EAST LANSING -- Michigan State sophomore guard Gary Harris was named Saturday as one of 15 finalists for John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award.

Harris -- along with Michigan sophomore Nik Stauskas -- was named as a finalist after being snubbed by the award's Midseason Top 25.

Harris ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring with 17.7 points per game. He also ranks third in the conference in steals with 2.0 per game. He leads the No. 22 Spartans (23-7, 12-5) with 10 games of 20 points or more.

Harris, who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2013, is also on the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Naismith Award midseason watch lists.

While Tom Izzo won the John R. Wooden coaching award following the 2010-2011 season, no Michigan State player has ever brought home the honor. In fact, since the award's inception in 1976, only three Big Ten players have won -- Indiana's Calbert Cheaney in 1993, Purdue's Glenn Robinson in 1994 and most recently, Michigan point guard Trey Burke in 2013.